Montfort Wind Farm

Project Overview

The Montfort Wind Farm consists of 20 wind turbines, comprising 30 megawatts (MW) of capacity. Completed in July 2001, the project was cooperatively developed by FPL Energy and Enron Wind. The project site, located in Iowa County, was acquired and permitted by Enron Wind. FPL Energy, the owner and lead developer, provided both the power sale and interconnection agreements and balance of plant. Enron Wind supplied, installed and commissioned Montfort's wind turbines. FPL Energy has contracted Enron Wind to operate and maintain the turbines for the next five years.

Project capacity:
30 MW

Annual Generation (est.):
52,000 megawatt-hours

Number of turbines:
     20

Project Location:
     Iowa County, along U.S. Hwy. 18,
     between the villages of Cobb and Montfort.

Project Developer and Owner

FPL Energy. A subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc., FPL Energy is the developer and owner of the Montfort Wind Farm. One of the nation's leading independent generators of electricity, FPL Energy is the nation's largest generator of wind energy, and it operates the two largest solar fields in the world.

It has more than 20 wind farms in Iowa, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, and California, with net owned capacity of nearly 800 megawatts. New wind projects under construction will add 650 additional megawatts to FPL Energy's portfolio by the end of 2001. These include two of the largest wind facilities in the world - the 278 MW King Mountain project in southwest Texas and the 261 MW Stateline project on the Washington/Oregon border.

Project Supplier and Operator

Enron Wind. Subsidiaries of Enron Wind assisted with the development and construction of the Montfort Wind Farm. Under contract to FPL Energy, Enron Wind also will operate the Montfort Wind Farm for five years. Enron Wind, the world's only fully integrated windpower company, has developed and/or sold more than 4,500 wind turbines comprising 1,600 MW of capacity around the world.

Power Purchasers

We Energies, the principal subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corp., serving more than 1 million electric customers in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Seventeen of Montfort's 20 turbines are serving customers of Wisconsin Electric-Wisconsin Gas.

Alliant Energy-Wisconsin Power & Light is one of three Alliant Energy Corporation subsidiaries, which together serve more than 1.2 million customers in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Three of Montfort's 20 turbines are serving Alliant Energy's Wisconsin subsidiary.

Technology

Manufacturer: Enron Wind.

The 1.5 MW series is the largest wind turbine manufactured in the United States, was the first of its class to be manufactured for the global wind market, and has the longest track record of any MW class turbine.

The Enron Wind 1.5 MW wind turbine features a variable speed, constant frequency design and a custom-designed airfoil. These features result in enhanced reliability and durability due to reduced mechanical loads, higher energy capture and lower noise signature than conventional fixed-speed turbines due to improved aerodynamics.

Interconnection costs are reduced due to selectable power factor and voltage control compared with conventional turbines with induction generators and fixed capacitors. For product information, visit Enron Wind's web site at www.wind.enron.com.

Wind turbine type		Enron Wind 1.5 MW Series wind turbine
Turbine height		Approximately 330 feet from base to blade tip at highest extension
Turbine hub height		Approximately 213 feet (65 meters)
Turbine weight		Approximately 184,000 lbs. (nacelle, hub and blades)
Foundation		Concrete cylinder 10 ft. wide by 18 to 28 ft. deep
Footprint		15.65 acres, consisting of 14 ft. tower base and access roads
Concrete		167 tons per foundation (186 full concrete truckloads)
Tower		Tubular steel
Tower height		Approximately 207 feet (63 meters)
Blade length		Approximately 112 feet (34 meters)
Rotor diameter		231 feet (70.5 meters) - 10% longer than the wingspan of a jumbo jet
Revolutions per minute		11-20 (one revolution every 2-3 seconds
Swept area		41,995 feet per turbine - 1.7 times the sail area of a flying clipper ship

Installation and Commissioning

December 2000		Grading of construction roads and crane pads begins for the first 17 turbines.
January 2001		Foundation and electrical collection work commences
February 2001		Grading and foundation work is completed for first 17 turbines (25.5 MW); tower and turbine erections begin; first turbines come on-line
April 2001		Work begins on three additional turbines (4.5 MW).
May 2001		All 20 turbines (30 MW) erected.
June 2001		Construction is completed.
July 2001		Commissioning is completed; all 20 turbines on-line.
August 2001		Turbines are formally dedicated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on-site.

Environmental Benefits

The 20-turbine installation will provide enough clean, renewable electricity to serve approximately 6,000 average Wisconsin homes each year. (Source: Wisconsin Energy Statistics 2000)

Annual Offsets: Based on Wisconsin's electric resource mix, the Montfort Windpower project can be expected to offset approximately

80 million pounds of (40,000 tons) of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas associated with global warming,

420,000 pounds (200 tons) of sulfur dioxide (the major cause of acid rain), and

260,000 pounds (130 tons) of nitrogen oxides each year.

Wind Energy: Wind energy was the world's fastest growing energy source during the 1990's, with an average annual growth rate of over 25%. The American Wind Energy Association currently expects U.S. installed wind generating capacity to increase by 40% to 60% by the end of next year.

Jobs Created

Construction Jobs:
5

Ongoing Operations and Maintenance Jobs:
3

@ 2001 RENEW Wisconsin